Chrome
by x-london-calling-x
Summary: The 10th Doctor and Rose meet up with an old friend in the Bermuda Triangle. Mild language and violence, so it's K plus to be safe. Has a sort of sequal: Tory.


(Author's note: Story I wrote 'cause I was bored, and I putSOMEBODY in for Sheena. Well, mostly 'cause I wanted to, but Sheenas madly in love with him, so I'll be nice to her. Hope they come as a surprise, though I don't expect them to.)

CHAPTER 1

Rose clicked her toungue, tracing a thin crack in the TARDIS console.  
"How long'll that take?" she questioned the Doctor, watching him disappear behind the large mushroom shape to attack something with a hammer.  
"Not long!" he promised, dashing past her and studying a screen before swinging himself under the console and tugging a wire.  
"Too much sugar in your tea?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as he ran manically round opposite her and bashing the console with his fist. He grinned as an eerie blue light flickered on.  
"Finished. We can go somewhere now..." he smiled, tossing a screwdriver to the ground and tapping a button. She peered over his shoulder as his hand hovered over the array of buttons. Finally, he drummed his fingers over a few flickering lights.  
"Where we goin'?" Rose asked, leaning back against the console.  
"Earth, Bermuda Triangle, two thousand and... six!" he replied brightly. She stared at him.  
"Bermuda Triangle!" she asked.  
"Yep. Perfectly fine, I promise you." he grinned.  
"Fine.." she sighed, steadying herself as they landed. The Doctor was already at the door, flinging it open to reveal a chrome corridor. He looked confused. "This isn't the Amben Resort..." he said quietly.  
"Amben Resort sounded more promising... Where are we, then?" Rose asked, walking up behind him and scanning the glinting corridor. His mouth moved wordlessly in wonder.

CHAPTER 2

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?" the strong voice, tinged with panic, made them turn. The woman was fairly tall, and bony and thin. And pale. Her grey eyes were tired and her flat, brown hair was dull. A black shirt, jacket and skirt did nothing for her awful, malnurished figure. In her ear was a futuristic headset, her earpeice buzzing with murmers.  
"Oh, urrm...2006?" the Doctor paused, slowly creaking the TARDIS door shut and grinning hopelessly. The large, wooden blue box stuck out like a sore thumb against the silver walls, floor, roof and... well, everything. Even the doors, which looked like they better suited a prison.  
"Alien...?" she whispered, narrowing her blood-shot eyes. The Doctor's own soft brown eyes widened in confusion.  
"What?" he asked, swallowing, the nervous smile fading slowly.  
"Are you alien?" she asked. The Doctor studied her - she looked tired, and an ID badge was pinned to her jacket, showing a better picture of her and her name, Annabell De-Mat're. Nothing more. "GUARDS." she shouted into her mouthpeice. "And what's this?" she asked sharply, nodding at the TARDIS and whirling round in anger to shout into her headpeice. The Doctor saw his chance and bent down to whisper into Rose's ear. She looked bemused.  
"Right, you run that way. I'll run this way. I'll see you when they've caught us." he grinned, pointing down the corridor.  
"You're mad..." she breathed, but he was already spinning around and speeding down the corridor. She laughed quietly and turned too, running as fast as she could.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, glancing over his shoulder to see Annabell chasing him wearily, followed by a gang of guards - he quickly counted twelve of them. When he turned his head back to where he was going, which was always smart, he saw a large silver wall in front of him. Dead end. "Ah..."

CHAPTER 3

Rose panted as she rounded a corner and pressed herself against a wall.

"Hey. Where are you going? HEY! THAT'S QUITE RUDE!" The Doctor shouted angrily as the guards turned around and ran in the opposite direction. He bit his lip - they were running towards Rose.  
"It's okay, sir-" Annabell replied grimly. Gosh, he hadn't been called 'sir' in a long time. "Somebody will be here to escort you shortly." And then she had turned a corner and was gone. The Doctor sighed, deciding it was best to say here and wait for the 'somebody' to 'escort him shortly'.

Rose slumped down the wall as she caught her breath, then she heard footsteps again. She quickly got to her feet and before she knew it, there were three guards around her, more surveying the area. Around a dozen in total. Crap. She heard an odd laser noise behind her and felt her wrists being clamped together. She struggled, and yelped as something burning brushed her wrists.  
"And this is 2006?" he asked, struggling to catch glimpses of the laser handcuffs.  
"We use the remains of alien technology." one of the guards replied roughly.  
"Bit like Torchwood...?" she asked, clicking her toungue. The guard paused, a black helmet covering his face.  
"I guess, a BIT like Torchwood." he replied. "WALK." he barked, and she walked.

Then the somebody came. The Doctor was staring around, looking for anything that wasn't chrome, when he spotted somebody - a guard. Black, soft padding armour, black helmet, black blaster... that didn't belong here. Earth, 2006, Bermuda Triangle. Hmm... Still. He grinned at the black figure.  
"So, are you my official escort?" he asked. A brief nod. "Where's Annabell De-Mat're gone?" A brief shrug. "I'm a little worried. Can you speak, or do you just mov-" he began, before the somebody grabbed him round the neck, pulling off their helmet.  
"Bloody 2006 crap. I can't even breath." he choked, glaring at it as it rattled to the ground. The Doctor paused, smiling, despite the sturdy arm around his neck. He recognised that voice. That awful, unintelligent American drawl. He decided not to say anything.  
"Awful time, awful planet." he shrugged instead. "I think they should just get rid of all the humans." He grinned as Jack paused, unsure.  
"Awful time." the ex-Time Agent agreed, pressing what felt like that blaster against his back. "MOVE." And the Doctor was being sheparded down a corridor, chrome, of course.

Jack glared at the back of the guy's head, secretly happy to actually be doing something, meeting somebody, even if he couldn't have a nice chat or kick their head in. The latter, he supposed, would be the more fun. Well, maybe not, this guy could be really attractive if he wasn't so creepy. He pressed the headpeice against his ear, cursing. Crap technology, even if they had copied it from some long dead alien. "Yeah? Oh, Miss De-Mat're." he grinned. "Yeah, Annabell, we're just... Hi!" he switched from speaking into the primative microphone to speaking to the actual Annabell, smiling.  
"You got him, then." she remarked coldly, glaring at him. "Throw him in the cell." Jack nodded and held the man's wrist tightly, throwing open the door and shoving him inside. The man was staring at him curiously.  
"You've not changed much." the man said. "Few more cuts and bruises, I suppose"  
"What...?" Jack stared at him, looking past him to the back of the cell. "Jack...?" came a feeble whimper. He looked confused. Then he looked up, took a proper look at the blonde huddled in the corner.  
"Ro..." he paused, staring at her burnt wrists and her beautiful tear streaked face. "Rose...?"

CHAPTER 4

She nodded. He walked over to her, hugging her gently.  
"I thought we'd never see you again." she sobbed.  
"So... so did I.. shh..." he whispered.  
"You know these intruders?" Annabell De-Mat're asked, folding her arms. He paused, winking at Rose to say 'play along.  
"Used to." he replied, standing up bitterly. She nodded slightly to show she understood. "Then they left me behind." he continued bitterly. Rose felt a pang as she realised his words were true. The Doctor must have felt it too, because he almost flinched. He stepped over to Rose and knelt beside her, staring blankly at Jack as he walked away. "Should I just leave them here? I could just lock them up, see how they cope. Check out their alien ship." Annabell suggested.  
"I'll do it." Jack sighed in fake sadness. Annabell slammed the (surprise, surprise) CHROME door. Rose shuddered and huddled back against the (shock horror) chrome wall.  
"We did leave him behind." she said quietly.  
"We did..." the Doctor said quietly. He put an arm around her and sighed.

He walked quickly along the corridor, pressing his hand against the blue box fondly. Torchwood wanted to rip the TARDIS apart. Remove the spare parts and use them for the air conditioning. The TARDIS wouldn't stand for that. Besides, it didn't match the chrome decor. He grinned, pushing the door open and laughing. It looked exactly the same. He stepped up to the control panel, stroking it softly and sighing. Then he dashed outside, gun in hand, back to the cell next to Annabell's office. 'Annabell De-Mat're' was printed in fine gold letters on the door. He stepped quietly to the cell door - locked. Bugger. He opened Annabell's door, taking the keys off the hook.  
"I'll only be a minute. I think they could give us some valuble.. information..." he said quickly, wishing he had a better plan. Still, it was a last resort, since charm just didn't work with Annabell. She was loyal and dedicated to her work. Perhaps 'obsessed' would fit better. She stood up and nodded.  
"You said they left you behind...?" she ventured, curious.  
"Oh, yeah. D-doesn't matter. LONG story." he said quickly, smiling and closing the door. He walked back to the door, pausing to listen to their conversation through the surprisingly thin door.

"I wish... maybe if... he died?" he heard Rose's voice, sounding confused. 'I DIED AND NOBODY TOLD ME!' he thought. He guessed the Doctor must have nodded.  
"But.. he's there. He's. Right. There. He was.. talkin' and..." Rose sounded confused again.  
"You saved him." said the unfamiliar British accent, quietly. He paused, rembering that.. gold light. There were the daleks, he recalled. And they shot him. He felt a million tiny jolts of pain run through his body. He felt every muscle die, turn stiff and cold, and everything was black. Then there was orange light everywhere, and he was fine again. He shook his head to clear it and held the small silver device up to the lock. It clicked open.

CHAPTER5

Rose jumped as the door opened, then smiled nervously and stood up slowly after the Doctor. Jack grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out, the Doctor now following as they ran past Annabell's office.  
"What are you doing?" she demanded, gawking at them from her doorway.  
"Urm.. running like hell." Jack replied with a grin, pausing in front of her.  
"WHY?" Annabell stammered. He just smiled and ran off. "Bastard. THEY'LL HEAR ABOUT THIS UPSTAIRS!"

They walked into the TARDIS casually, Jack waving a gun at any guard who dared approach and barking 'they're with me' seemed to help with getting back to it. Rose resumed her place on the chairs, the Doctor at the console and Jack... he just sort of hovered around, unsure what to do.  
"You comin' in?" Rose asked, staring at him standing in the doorway. He grinned nevously.  
"Rude to stare." he smiled. "What, did I get more charming"  
"Well..." Rose paused, smiling as she considered it.  
"Not really, strangling me like that." the Doctor smiled, sighing. "I guess I forgive you though." Jack studied him. He was different, obviously, but something kept him as the Doctor.  
"It confuses me, too." Rose sighed, interupting his thoughts.  
"Well, I'd guess it was regeneration, since... Timelord, right?" he nodded slowly.  
"Rose absorbed the time vortex." the Doctor explained.  
"See, that's not smar- wait... she did...?" he asked.  
"Yes..." the Doctor looked confused.  
"And.. orange light, right?" Jack asked.  
"How did...you must... but you weren't..." the Doctor stammered.  
"Yeah, bloody daleks murdered me." he smiled, turning to Rose. "Thanks, by the way." She smiled and shrugged.  
"Eavsdropping is naughty, Jack." the Doctor tutted.  
"Hell, comes in useful, though."

CHAPTER6

"You didn't throw my stuff out." Jack grinned, tugging at his T-shirt and thinking how much more comfortable it was than that ruddy armour suit thing.  
"'Course not!" Rose smiled.  
"Even though..." he began.  
"Even though." the Doctor prompted.  
"Well, you left me behind. I though it was a kind of 'get the hint' action. I thought you never expected to see me again?" he said quietly, almost wincing in the inevitable silence that followed.  
"Sorry." Rose smiled sadly, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back.  
"It's fine, really. I've been in worse situations." he pulled away. "Like... like this time, I was still working for the Time Agency, and I was the Captain of this ship, The New Enemy, or something. Anyway, they turned off the air in half the ship, not remembering I was in that half, and left me for five hours. I had to survive from one tank of air. Awful. OH! And the time..."

They listened intently to his stories until he ran out of good ones and they decided to leave Torchwood for good. Torchwood, and Annabell De-Mat're.

CHAPTER7

(Not really a chapter - has.. not alot to do with the chapter. Dedicated to Lou, Eve, Sheena and Ryn)  
Louise looked up as grinding filled the air. She looked back to the table. Rach laughed.  
"Bye losers." she smirked before walking off.  
"DON'T LEAVE US WITH THEM." Sheena called after her. Laura laughed absently.  
"They don't leave us alone." she complained. "I fold." she put her cards on the table and yawned, standing up as the blue box faded into existence. Eve was sipping at a Vodka Martini.  
"Four nines and a five!" Sheena announced. "Hey, can anyone actually PLAY poker"  
"Nope. I'll give you £1 for the chips." Laura replied, tossing a £1 coin onto the table and trying to build a small castle out of the poker chips. Ryn rolled her eyes wearily.  
"Tell them to go away." she told Lou. Louise laughed and opened the doors.  
"RYN SAYS BUGGER OFF." Eve called, making Jack look offended. He walked over to her and took the glass from her hand. Draining it, he looked around.  
"JACK!" Sheena grinned, standing up and kissing him on both cheeks.  
"Is that... a european thing?" he asked, looking confused.  
"Urrrrm... sure!" she grinned.  
"Where's my kisses?" the Doctor asked.  
"No, you're ugly." Sheena replied, sitting down and staring at Laura. "Urm... Lur.." she began, looking worriedly at her friend as she stared at her plastic castle creation.  
"Hm-mm?" she looked up. "Oh, yeah, I took all the information about you off the internet. And there's food over there." She motioned to a box. Jack bent down to her.  
"Did you get the booze?" he asked. Laura nodded. "Good girl." he grinned. Sheena laughed nervously. 'God, I'm making an ass of myself.' she thought.

"We'll be off then!" the Doctor called, handing Rose a bar of choclate. She smiled.  
"Bye!" she called, waving. There was a general murmer from the group as they settled back at the table and a small wave.  
"Cya in hell." Jack grinned. It got the same murmer, the same wave, but some IDIOT shouted 'BYE, JACK!' at the top of her lungs, SHEENA.


End file.
